Int’l Museum of the Horse Shares Discoveries from History Harvests for African American Equestrians

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 30, 2019) – The International Museum of the Horse will hold a Shareback Session as a follow-up to the recent History Harvests. The event is free, open to the public, and will be held on Thursday, June 13, 6:00-7:00 pm, at the Lexington Public Library, Central Branch, in Meeting Room A. Museum staff will present highlights from the community contributions and share what has been learned from the objects and stories.

History Harvests were held on April 13 and May 18 at the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center. The events provided opportunities for community participants to bring items that relate to African Americans working in the horse industry, to be scanned and photographed. Participants, volunteers, and staff held conversations and recorded oral histories as well. All participants were given a digital copy of their contributions.

The museum’s History Harvests are free, public events dedicated to uncovering, sharing, and digitizing items of historical significance for inclusion in the forthcoming website, the Chronicle of African Americans in the Horse Industry.

Community partners for the History Harvests included Phoenix Rising Lex and The Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, who promoted the event in Lexington’s East End neighborhood. The museum plans to hold more History Harvests in additional communities. They also offer the option of recording oral histories at the museum or visiting contributors at their homes. To contribute to the project, email chronicleinfo@ky.gov or call 859-259-4279.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.